Every day in class, I look to my left and right and realize that it’s just me.

I’m usually the only one in each of my classes with a different skin color. The only one who believes in multiple Gods. The only one who celebrates Diwali, the most important Indian holiday.
Sitting there, I can’t help but feel out of place. As much as I try to forget about them, the obvious differences seem to haunt me.
People in Marin are perfectly tolerant of different religions, even though we live in a county dominated by people who spend “the holidays” surrounded by Christmas trees and menorahs.
Don’t get me wrong, I am no Grinch.
In fact, every morning on December 25, I celebrate Christmas surrounded by family with gifts on the floor and basketball on the television.
But many people seem to forget that there are more religions with holidays  that—shocker—are not in December.
No matter how tolerant Marin may claim to be, there is a difference between tolerance and awareness.
The problem I face daily is that so many people around me forget that there are people who have beliefs unlike their own.     They forget that not everyone celebrates Christmas. They forget that not everyone believes in one God. They forget that there are so many different cultures out there besides the few they are exposed to.
If I were to go across the Richmond Bridge, I would be just a 35-minute drive away from some of the most beautiful temples.
The Sai Baba temple is my favorite. When I sit there and take in the smell of the candles, the beauty of the Ganesh displays, and the aroma of the fresh roti and aloo gobi, I become who I was raised to be.
I do not go very often, but when I am there I feel “normal.” That feeling of normality has been so hard to find here in Marin.
Because no matter how tolerant everyone around me is, when my neighbors look at me oddly, or friends point out my beliefs as if they were part of a science project, I can’t help but think that what we are truly lacking in Marin is the knowledge of all the different cultures around us.
No matter how tolerant Marin is, it is a difficult place to grow up being different.
It is inevitable that we will find ourselves in a place outside of our comfort zone at some point in our lives.
One day, the same person who was shocked when I said I speak Hindi will be utterly confused when he finds himself in a place filled with people who don’t speak English.
The same person who speaks brashly about their political beliefs, forgetting the Republican student sitting in the corner, is going to find herself in a room filled with no one but conservatives.
Being aware of different cultures and religions will only benefit us when the situation arises.
It is our job to recognize that these differences are everywhere. Just because we are usually surrounded by the same kind of  people doesn’t mean that we are allowed to forget about all the different ideas around us.